Breaking: Yankees assigned outright to Triple-A Scranton

The Yankees announced this afternoon that right-hander McKinley Moore had cleared waivers and been sent to Triple-A Scranton.

Moore, 25, was drafted in the 24th round by the White Sox in 2019, but he made his big league debut with the Phillies last year after moving to Philadelphia as part of the 2022 trade for outfielder Adam Haseley. The righty struggled in his first taste of big league play, allowing seven runs on five hits, five walks, and two hit hitters against only two strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings of work.

Moore has only made three relief appearances in the major leagues to date. The Phillies kept the right-hander on their 40-man roster all offseason, but he was designated for assignment early in Spring Training to make way for Spencer Turnbull.

The Yankees took advantage of the opportunity to claim him off waivers and bring him into the organization, but he has struggled since moving on. Moore has allowed two runs, walked six, and hit a batter in only two-thirds of an inning for Scranton this season, with one strikeout.

Despite Moore’s evident control issues, the right-hander has shown intriguing talent, including an upper-90s fastball in his short major league experience. The 6’6″ power arm might be an influential relief arm for a club if he can learn to manage his velocity, and the Yankees will now have the option to work with the 25-year-old throughout the season without committing to a 40-man roster slot for him.

While it’s not impossible to imagine Moore pitching for the big league club at some point this year, with non-roster veterans such as Phil Bickford and Duane Underwood Jr. currently available to the Yankees in the minor leagues it seems more likely that Moore will have to iron out his control issues to get another shot at the major league level.